As technology advances, it is more and more common for electronic devices to have the ability to communicate with one another to streamline common tasks. Various wired and wireless protocols have been developed to allow machines to communicate with one another, such as 802.11, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and others. These protocols allow common devices to transmit data directly to and from one-another, allowing for efficient and fast interaction without the need for direct user intervention.
One device that may benefit from such communications is the printer. At its most basic, the printer allows for representation of electronic information in a physical medium. Current implementations of wireless networks allow for communication with printers without the need for cables. However, the limitations of 802.11 and other such protocols become apparent when considering scenarios with multiple devices in proximity with one another, or where physical proximity is desirable. If the user does not know the network address of the printer with which the user intends to interact, it may not be immediately apparent how to access the printer on the network. The range and sophistication of these protocols may also present drawbacks in many other use cases, including when performing maintenance operations and when detecting a particular printer's configuration. Finally, during initial setup and configuration, printers may not be able to access a local network, making the use of prior art network protocols impractical.